Chats and interviews with Craig Bartlett/2000
MODERATOR :Hi everyone! Welcome to Nick.com's Blab-a-torium! :Tonight we are having a special guest ... :Craig Bartlett, the genius behind "HEY ARNOLD!" :Get your questions typed and submitted so we can lay them on him as soon as he gets here! :Send us your questions for Craig Bartlett—the man behind the FOOTBALL HEAD! :Craig Bartlett the creator of "Hey Arnold!" will be here in the chat room soon! :Hi everyone! If you are just joining us, tonight Craig Bartlett will be here! :Craig Bartlett is the creator of "Hey Arnold!" YAY! :Type your question in the text box and hit SEND! Nick Yapper :Hey Everyone!! Are you ready to chat with Craig Bartlett? MODERATOR :I am, Yapper! :I can't wait! So get your questions ready for the Football Head himself, Craig Bartlett! Nick Yapper :I know. I am such a big fan!! :I can't wait to hear what this guy has to say!! MODERATOR :If you are just joining us, welcome to the Blab-a-torium! :Just type your question in the text box and hit SEND! Nick Yapper :Be sure to type your questions in the text box just below the chat window :Hey guys, I think we are about to get started MODERATOR :Who can stump the expert of "Hey Arnold!"? Get ready cuz I think I hear him coming! Nick Yapper :Craig Bartlett is in the building :He's just getting himself a cup of coffee and we will get going!! :He's here!!! :He's here!! :Hi Craig!!! Craig Bartlett :Hi everyone! MODERATOR :HI CRAIG!! :Everyone, with us tonight is Craig Bartlett, the creator of "Hey Arnold!" :Our first question tonight comes from ranidbay randibay :What made you think of making Arnold's head football-shaped? Craig Bartlett :When I first designed Arnold, he was made of clay... :because I was animating the Penny Cartoons for"Pee-Wee's Playhouse" :In those days I would pour out a big sheet of clay and cut shapes out like cookies.. :So the football shape was sort of like a cookie cutout and I thought it was funny! MODERATOR :Craig, can you explain to us what you actually do to create "Hey Arnold!"? Nick Yapper :Excellent question!! Craig Bartlett :My job on "Hey Arnold!" mostly concerns the early parts and the later parts of making every cartoon... :the beginning and the end of every cartoon. :I work on the story and I'm one of the writers... :and I direct the voice actors and I cut the voice tracks to length... :then I hand out the show to the artists. I meet with them and talk about the scenes they are going to draw. :First we record the voices then we do the storyboards :then the show is drawn and goes overseas to be animated...later it comes back to me again. :Then when it comes back I cut the picture to exactly 11 minutes... :I sit with Jim Lang and we spot the show for music . :I sit with the sound effects guys and we spot the sound effects for the show... :then we go to a place in Hollywood where the final half hour tape is made.. :I always go to that because there might be some final detail we want to change. Nick Yapper :I just LOVE the music!!! Craig Bartlett :I would never miss that. My favorite parts of the whole process are making the final tape... :and the beginning when we record the actors. hiomannnn :What do Arnold and Gerald call their hand shake? Nick Yapper :OOOH! a Stumper!! Craig Bartlett :It's simply called their secret handshake :and you can tell it's a secret handshake by the weird sound it makes . :They do it different ways. Sometimes they link their hands and wiggle their thumbs... :Sometimes they just hold their hands next to each other and wiggle their thumbs. helgagp123 :Do any of the characters relate to you? Craig Bartlett :I'm Arnold, but there are some big differences. :I have parents and I didn't grow up in a boarding house with my grandparents under a freeway... :but Arnold is the conscience of the show, and I always think of what I would do if I were in the same situation Arnold is in. :And then Helga is an amalgam of all the girls I loved or loved me when I was in grade school. :Unrequited love is the main theme of the show! Nick Yapper :I bet all the girls loved you, Craig. MODERATOR :The next question is one that was sent to nick.com before the chat. Why does Harold have his belly button sticking out? Craig Bartlett :Harold is a slob... :and he's just that kind of a kid who would have a too-short t-shirt, and his belly button sticking out. :Even when he wears a suit at his Bar Mitzvah he still has his belly button sticking out. Nick Yapper :Aww—it's just baby fat... :I think he'll grow out of it. MODERATOR :corey_nick has a great question! corey_nick :How come Helga never tells Brainy to get away? Craig Bartlett :Well, Helga just thinks socking him should be enough! :She's a girl of action. Nick Yapper :She's my hero!! Craig Bartlett :Helga for President! MODERATOR :juliac is asking the question on all of our minds ... juliac :What happened to Aronld's parents? Craig Bartlett :Didn't she watch "Parent's Day"? Nick Yapper :I did! Craig Bartlett :"Parent's Day" introduces Arnold's parents to the audience... :who they were and how they disappeared. :The movie will continue the story MODERATOR :And on a more personal note, from frisket ... frisket :Hey, Craig, what's your favorite animated show online? Craig Bartlett :I don't know about online, but my favorite animated show on TV is "The Simpsons.." :It's the biggest influence on cartoon shows today because it's so well-written. MODERATOR :I love this question from 105! 105 :How does Arnold get his shirt on over his head? Craig Bartlett :Well, he tends to put it on and then button it. He doesn't actually have to pull it over his head... Nick Yapper :I always wondered that myself!! Craig Bartlett :He pulls his sweater over his head in "Crush on Teacher." :We also see him undress in "Helga's Parrot" but we cut away before it's too late... Nick Yapper :I have a question, Craig... Nick Yapper: Why doesn't Brainy, who always finds Helga looking at the heart-shaped picture of Arnold, ever tell anybody? Craig Bartlett :Brainy secretly loves Helga... :cares about her so much that he won't tell her secret. :It's his way of showing that he loves her. :In the episode "Helgo on the Couch" he sort of proposes marriage to her... :he offers her a little ring, a little gum machine ring. :She just looks at it and chucks it over her shoulder. MODERATOR :Craig, I think they're trying to stump you tonight! raccon186 asks a tough one raccon186 :Why is Gerald the Keeper of all the Legends? Nick Yapper :Oooh, another Stumper!! Craig Bartlett :Gerald's just a very good public speaker... :and over the years the kids just unofficially made him the Teller of Urban Tales.. :Sid is the Gatekeeper... :so Sid always introduces the urban legend, and introduces Gerald... :and then Gerald tells it. later66 :What advice does your grandpa give you in real life? Craig Bartlett :Both my grandpas have died, but when I was a kid, my grandpa would give me advice like Arnold's grandpa... :like "never eat raspberries." :Arnold's grandparents are like fantasy grandparents, the kind you wished you had. :They're capable of doing anything, really physically fit... :really smart and funny. MODERATOR :Oh a hypothetical question from artluver... artluver29 :How do you think the show would differ if Arnold actually lived with his parents? Craig Bartlett :That's a good question, I've been thinking about that. :I think Arnold would probably move away and travel around the world... :because that's what you see his parents do in "Parent's Day." Nick Yapper :Well, that would be totally different! koolgurl :Why is Helga always mean to Arnold when she likes him? And the first time she tried to be nice, HE was mean to HER!!!!!! Craig Bartlett :Well, Ihave to defend Arnold... :because she had been mean to him hundreds of times... :by the time she was nice to him. :But more importantly, the reason that Helga always acts mean to Arnold is that she feels she would die of embarassment if the other kids knew her secret. :I think it would be funny to do an episode where all the kids learn Helga's secret... :and they just say "Duh!" MODERATOR :Craig, we have a real stumper here that came in this week to nick.com ... it was asked ...I know Arnold's grandma's name is Pooky, but is that her real name? Craig Bartlett :No, Pooky is her nickname... :that's what grandpa calls her. :Her real name is Gertrude.. :We see her name is Gerty when grandpa talks about meeting her as kids... :in the episode "Girl Trouble." Nick Yapper :That's right, the man behing that terrific Nicktoon, "Hey Arnold!" is chatting with us here on nick.com! mariposa4 :Why exactly are fourth-graders out in the city alone at night? Especially the episodes where Helga and Harold are left at the factory...or where four of them go to Chez Paris? Craig Bartlett :The world that Arnold and the kids live in in "Hey Arnold!" is kind of an idealized and romantic world... :where it's dangerous but it's safe... :where the kids can go out at night and do all sorts of things... :and be safe. :It's our idea of an idealized urban world... :where there's a real community and everybody cares about each other. :I know there are episodes liked "Mugged" which are about strangers in the city... :so we sometimes deal with that. :But mostly it's about the kind of world where kids can go out day or night... :and pretty much do anything they want. Nick Yapper :If you have a question for Craig Bartlett, type it into the text box below and hit send!! MODERATOR :a background question now... tutut :Where did Stinky live before he moved to Arnold's neighborhood? Craig Bartlett :Good question. Stinky is from Arkansas. :And we chose Arkansas because President Clinton's from there... :his entire backstory is beautifully told in the episode "Stinky's Pumpkin" :where we see him tell his whole family's story through the pictures on the wall. :My favorite picture is his house being towed by a truck... :they towed his house to Arnold's city. MODERATOR :midget24 asks a very popular question... midget24 :Craig, will there ever be an episode where Arnold's last name is announced? Craig Bartlett :Among the crew at "Hey Arnold!" the question of his last name has become kind of a joke... :I didn't give him a last name :because Ithought calling him "Hey Arnold!" was more powerful... :but there have been so many requests we thought we would just casually mention his name in the movie... :and then just move on. redberry92 :Does Phoebe really have a crush on Gerald? Craig Bartlett :Yes, and it's mutual! :They've sort of been boyfriend and girlfriend ever since the first season. :Their love is not unrequited. :I guess that means it's requited! Nick Yapper :That's sooo romantic! 123dalla :Why is Sid such a back-stabber? Craig Bartlett :Sid's kind of a weasel.. :He's a sweet enough kid but he's sort of a coward and a wimp... :and you can't count on him for much. :He sort of cracks under pressure. :But I really love Sid, he's one of my favorite characters. Nick Yapper :Hey guys, if you're just joining us, we're chatting with Craig Bartlett, the creator of "Hey Arnold!" gummi1197 :Will Stoop Kid ever be in another episode? Craig Bartlett :Good question! :Stoop Kid makes a cameo in a couple of shows... :"Cool Party" and we see him in the TV movie "Arnold Saves the Neighborhood" :which will be our hundredth episode. :So look for it in Spring 2001. Nick Yapper :If you want to ask the original "Football Head" a question, just type it into the text box below this window and hit send!! MODERATOR :And another stumper for ya, Craig! nicktunlvr :Where did Arnold get Abner from? Nick Yapper :Abner is Arnold's Pig, right??? Craig Bartlett :Yes, Abner is Arnold's pig. :I guess from the animal shelter. He saved Abner from being made into bacon! :Abner shows up a lot more in the fifth season. he's sort of around the house nowadays. :In the dinner scenes, he's under the table. roxy92225 :How can someone like me get started in cartoon drawing, like as a career? Craig Bartlett :Nowadays there are a lot of colleges that teach animation. :Los Angeles has a lot of schools that are excellent... :including Cal Arts, USC, and UCLA... :and New York and the other major cities as well. :My main advice is to draw all the time. :Get those blank notebooks and fill them with drawings. :I used to like to carry blank books on the bus. and draw the people who got on the bus. ertel1080 :When did the show first start out? Craig Bartlett :I made claymation "Arnold" shorts, short films ten years ago... :but I first brought them to Nickelodeon in '93. :I started work on the "Arnold" pilot in '94... :and we got picked up to go to a series in '95. Nick Yapper :WOW—has it been that long?! Time Flies!! MODERATOR :Craig here's a stumper again from the mail we received! What's the name of the episode when Helga and Harold get lost at the chocolate factory? Craig Bartlett :It's called "Buses, Bikes and Subways" and it's episode 75b! nicktunlvr :Will you ever show Mr. Smith's face? Craig Bartlett :I don't think so... :I have a feeling Mr. Smith flew away in that helicopter... :in the episode "Door 16" and was never heard from again. :Or maybe he still lives in the boarding house. :He's very mysterious. :He still pays his rent. He's a very weird guy. dramagirl2 :Have you ever considered doing a live television show? Craig Bartlett :Yeah, it would be fun. :I had a dream once I was in Arnold's actual room... :and it was perfect in every detail... Nick Yapper :He has the coolest room!! Craig Bartlett :and I thought I must be in an Arnold movie! :The only problem is I don't know how we'd cast someone to play Arnold... :because of the football head! dunkin316 :Craig, what is your favorite episode? Craig Bartlett :That's tough. :I guess I'd have to say "Parent's Day." MODERATOR :My favorite one was "Pigeon Man". I loved that! Craig Bartlett :But I'm also very fond of "Helga on the Couch. :"Pigeon Man" is great! :I even love the very first one we ever made, "Downtown as Fruit." Nick Yapper :I like the one with the Parrot! :The one that recites Helga's poem!! Craig Bartlett :That's "Helga's Parrot." Nick Yapper :Craig Bartlett, the creator of "Hey Arnold!" will only be with us for another 10 minutes, so send us your questions!!! krisbecool :Who was Arnold's first friend? Craig Bartlett :Gerald. All of the kids in "Hey Arnold!" met in pre-school. :It was instant friendship. :They even did their secret handshake in pre-school. :They're all friends for life. knickknack :Who is the oldest out of the kids? Craig Bartlett :Out of the immediate group, Harold is the oldest... :He's been held back a lot. :He's 13, as we learn in "Harold's Bar Mitzvah." :It's not that he's stupid, he just doesn't apply himself. Nick Yapper :I had the same problem, but I got over it!! joe1990 :Are all of the kids who do Arnold's...Helga's...etc. voices nice? Craig Bartlett :Yeah, they're great! :I love going to record them... :because they're so much fun to hang out with. :Some of them I've known for 6 years. :Franny and Jamil have been with the show since the pilot. dontknow :How old is Arnold's grandma? Craig Bartlett :Arnold's grandma is about a year older than Arnold's grandpa... :and he's 81 so she must be 82. :Only a few weeks older. In "Parent's Day" Arnold says she's the oldest. MODERATOR :Another one from mail at nick.com this week... What does it feel like having the cartoon you made up on television? Craig Bartlett :It's great! :It's a dream job. :It's the most fun I've ever had. martian64 :How did Gerald get the hairstyle he has today? Nick Yapper :Five more minutes, Folks!! Craig will be answering just a few more questions!! Craig Bartlett :He started combing it up right away. :He had the same hairstyle in pre-school... :so I figured as soon as he had hair, he started combing it up. :He doesn't need any hair care products—it's natural! mather1 :Why doesn't Arnold ever take his hat off? Craig Bartlett :It's come off a couple of times but it's been really bad when it comes off. :Helga steals it from him in "Arnold's Hat" :and it falls off in "Stuck in a Tree." :It's really bad when the hat comes off... :because he almost has a bald spot. :The reason the hat is so important to Arnold is that his parents gave it to him when he was a baby. MODERATOR :Craig we've enjoyed having you here with us tonight! Can you tell us all about some of your upcoming projects? Craig Bartlett :Two things I'm working on right now... :a spinoff called "The Patakis" about Helga and her family, Nick Yapper :Ooh!! Inside scoop!! Craig Bartlett :and Helga's 15 years old. :It would be an original show for Nick at Nite! :The other project is the Arnold movie... :We've been writing the script and are waiting for Paramount to give it the go-ahead. :I'm currently finished episodes 90 to 100 of "Hey Arnold!" Nick Yapper :100, that's huge!! Craig Bartlett :The last 3 episodes are a TV movie... :called "Arnold Saves the Neighborhood." :And the amazing thing is Helga tells Arnold her secret! Nick Yapper :Omigosh!!! MODERATOR :Craig, before you leave, can you show me the secret handshake? Craig Bartlett :Here's the secret handshake! It looks like this :lol Nick Yapper :Wow, this is great info! Thanks, Craig. MODERATOR :Thanks again for joining us tonight! It was great talking with Craig Bartlet, the creator of "Hey Arnold!" Craig Bartlett :Bye everybody! Nick Yapper :Yeah, Craig! You were a great chatter!! MODERATOR :Don't forget to come back next week when we have our favorite undersea characters .. SPONGEBOB AND PATRICK! :Next Thursday, July 13th at 7pm ET !! Join us then! Nick Yapper :Thanks for joining us!! Craig Bartlett :Stay tuned! Keep watching. Thanks for the cards and letters! Nick Yapper :BYE CRAIG!!! :And Craig Bartlett has left the building!! MODERATOR :(practicing the handshake) Nick Yapper :Thanks for joining us, everyone! :Please come back next week and chat with SpongeBob and Patrick!!! :You've been a wonderful audience! MODERATOR :Yapper that was great!! Craig Bartlett was FUN! :Thanks everyone for coming tonight! Nick Yapper :Transcripts will be available for all nick.com chats in the Blab area... :These are coming SOON!! :gnight! MODERATOR :Folks...this room is closed now. It's time to exit please. Come visit us next Thursday evening at 7pm ET for a chat with SpongeBob and Patrick from "SpongeBob SquarePants!" See ya then Category:Craig Bartlett Category:Chats and interviews